Mikel announced his retirement from professional football last week at the age of 35.
As a talented teenage attacking midfielder, Mikel was embroiled in a bitter dispute between Manchester United and Chelsea for his signature.
Mikel initially signed for the Red Devils but later admitted that the agreement was not of his own volition before deciding to join Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.
Mikel spent more than a decade with the Blues, making 372 appearances and winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League, Europa League, three FA Cups and one League Cup.
He also won 91 caps for Nigeria and was part of the Super Eagles side that triumphed at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
Mikel wrapped up his career with short stints at Trabzonspor, Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Tianjin TEDA and Kuwait SC.
In an interview with BBC Sport Africa, Mikel looked back on some of the memorable highlights of his career, including what necessitated a change of position from a flamboyant attacking midfielder to a much heralded defensive one.
"I don't regret any decision I made because I enjoyed everything I achieved at Chelsea - it's the best decision I have ever made in my life," Mikel said.
"I signed a pre-contract for Manchester United when I was 17. If you are a kid and you see Sir Alex Ferguson right in front of you with the contract, of course you will be tempted."
"I acted as a young kid and as soon as Chelsea heard the news, they came and got me out of Norway," recalled the former Super Eagles captain.
"That's when people started saying that I was kidnapped. It wasn't a great moment for me then. I just wanted to play football because I was so young."
He added: "Mourinho decided that he wanted me to play the defensive midfield position. At the end of the day, he is the coach and made the decision."
"We discussed and he felt that because of the big midfield players he had in his squad at Chelsea that I should play the defensive midfield role.
"[Claude] Makelele was just finishing his career at Chelsea, so Mourinho wanted me to take over from Makelele."
"I always wanted to win the Champions League because it is the best football tournament in the world apart from the World Cup," he added.
"To then win something with the national team was great. As a kid watching the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Kanu, I said I want to win something with the national team.
"I am so happy to have managed to do that. I will rank both of them top as my most cherished trophies."
